SWINDON...

1947: Mr H W Shakespeare was re-elected chairman to the South Marston Parish Council at the annual meeting. He was proposed by Mr Sansum and seconded by Mr Morse.

1957: A play, The Merry Little Milkmaids, was presented by Wroughton British Legion Women’s Section at a meeting of the new Town British Legion, Swindon with Ms M Moore as the pianist.

1977: Members of the Swindon Royal Naval Association marched through Swindon’s Old Town streets as part of their special St George’s Day Parade.

2013: Hundreds of children were on their best behaviour when the Duchess of Gloucester came to their schools. The Duchess met pupils and staff at Uplands School and St Francis CofE Primary School, both in North Swindon, when she unveiled plaques at each venue.

THE WORLD...

1859: Work began on the 100-mile Suez Canal.

1915: Australian, New Zealand, British and French forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula.

1926: Toscanini conducted the first performance of Puccini’s last opera, Turandot, in Milan.

1945: Fifty nations gathered in San Francisco to begin the United Nations conference on International Organisations.

1969: The radio serial Mrs Dale's Diary ended after 21 years and 5,400 episodes. Her last words were: ''I'm rather worried about Jim.''

1975: Portugal held its first free elections for 50 years.

1983: In Germany, Stern published extracts from the so-called diaries of Adolf Hitler, pictured, also published by the Sunday Times in Britain. They were later found to be forgeries.

2013: Preliminary hearing were held for inquests into the deaths of 96 people killed in the Hillsborough disaster.

BORN...

1599: Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England and Britain’s first and only dictator (d.1658)

1872: C B Fry, all-round sportsman, who played football, cricket and rugby and was also an athlete, hunter, fisherman and novelist (d.1956)

1940: Al Pacino, actor

1945: Bjorn Ulvaeus, pop musician (Abba)

1946: Talia Shire, actress

1947: Johan Cruyff, former footballer/football manager

1964: Andy Bell, pop musician (Erasure)

1969: Renee Zellweger, actress

1970: Jason Lee, actor

DIED...

1342: Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)

1185: Emperor Antoku of Japan (b. 1178)

1995: Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)

2007: Footballer Alan Ball, the youngest member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning side (b.1945)

2008: Humphrey Lyttelton, trumpet player, composer, and radio host (b. 1921)

2009: Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (b. 1922)

2010: Alan Sillitoe, author and screenwriter (b. 1928)